


Wolf Moon

by Eastofthemoon



Series: Something Familiar [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cats, Familiars, Family, Gen, Horror, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Supernatural Elements, Team as Family, Werewolves, Witch AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-10 23:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16464035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastofthemoon/pseuds/Eastofthemoon
Summary: It's Halloween night, and Allura and her familiars find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere.  Thankfully, they locate a nearby town to spend the night.  However, it quickly becomes clear there is something very dangerous in town and if they're not careful, they might never leave.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For people that have been wanting a more action/longer story in my Witch Allura AU, here we are. This story will either be 3 or 4 chapters, but I'm not quite sure yet. I was hoping to get this all done before Halloween, but how well, at least it will be posted within the same week. Hope you all enjoy this.

The town was a perfect target. It was small, easy to conquer and if they played their cards right they could isolate the civilians before they had a chance to call for help. The scout had reported there was a local witch that lived within the town. That had been a concern, but if they strike while they slept, they should be able to take him down easy.

Sendak narrowed his eyes at the town before him as he sniffed the air. The moon was high, and nearly full. He was tempted to wait for the full moon, but his mistress was not patient. Besides, it was better to strike now and use the power of the full moon to finish the job.

Sendak turned around to where his pack sat before him. They were still in their human forms, but many were eager for the night to begin as their bodies shook with anticipation. The younger ones seemed more hesitant, but they would adjust. They had no choice if they wished to remain in the pack.

Sendak gave a wicked grin as he showed off his fangs before holding his fist up in the air.

“Remember, no kills. Not yet, and attack as many as you can,” Sendak declared. 

His pack nodded and as Sendak turned back to the town. “Let the hunt begin.”

Sendak transformed as his army did the same and they all howled in unison. Within seconds, they ran together straight towards the town where their helpless prey sat.

They would show no mercy and no one would arrive to save them.

08080808080808080808080808080808080808080

Hunk grunted as he pulled his head out of the car hood and wiped his forehead. “Okay, Coran. Try it now.”

“Will do,” Coran said as he turned on the engine. 

Allura clasped her hands hopefully as her other familiars watched with longing. They heard the engine growl, then for a second it seemed to roar only for it to gurgle and fade out again.

“Oh, come on!” Lance declared as he tugged at his hair. “Why won’t this stupid thing just start?”

“It’s an old car,” Shiro said as he massaged his forehead. “It can’t be helped.”

Lance growled as he sat on the ground and pouted. “I get it’s an old car, but did it have to die on us in the middle of nowhere?”

“I have to agree with Lance,” Keith said as he kicked one of the car’s tires. “At this rate it’ll take forever to get home.”

“Everyone, calm down,” Allura said as Pidge and Coran went to look into the hood next to Hunk. “Is there anything else we can do?”

Hunk rubbed her neck. “I hate to say it, but this car is just dead.”

“Frankly, it’s a miracle we’ve kept it running for this long,” Pidge added.

“Well, this was Alfor’s favorite car,” Coran said as he grasped his chin. “He did his best to maintain no matter how old it got.”

“I still say we need to get a new car, or at least a new engine,” Hunk muttered as he closed the lid. “Granted, we could probably update the whole thing.”

Pidge nodded. “Get some new seats. Oh, maybe put in a USB stick drive.”

“Oh, yeah! Can you believe this thing still plays cassettes?”

Shiro cleared his throat. “Maybe save your upgrade planning after we find a way home.”

Allura sheepishly hugged herself. “I’m sorry. If I had known this would happen, I never would have suggest this adventure.”

She glanced over to the basket of freshly picked herbs. Allura had read from her father’s notes that this was a prime area to locate plants for her potions. It had seemed like a grand idea to do.

Take a couple of hours to drive, pick the plants, and then drive home and they would arrive just in time to celebrate Halloween together. It was the most important day in the witch community.

Magic was often it’s most powerful on this night and not to mention she loved seeing the children come to her door. Hunk would offer them homemade treats, and Lance enjoyed going in his cat form and scaring the kids who would run and laugh.

Then later they would all sit on the couch and tell ghost stories while they drank cider. It was going to be so much fun, especially since it was Keith’s first Halloween with them. Allura loved it, but now because of her they wouldn’t be able to do it.

Keith’s gaze softened as he touched her shoulder. “You couldn’t have predicted this would happen.”

Allura chewed her bottom lip. “I know, but still-” She gasped as a thought struck her. “I know! I could try my magic on it-”

“NO!” Everyone cried in unison, except for Keith who blinked in confusion.

Allura pouted as she placed her hands on her hips. “And why not?”

“Have you forgotten the vacuum incident?” Pidge asked dryly. “It would have sucked up the entire house if we didn’t destroy the thing.”

Hunk shivered as he hugged himself. “The singing still haunts my nightmares.”

Keith raised an eyebrow as he looked to Shiro. “What happened?”

Shiro sighed. “Long story, I’ll tell you later.”

“Fine,” Allura grumbled as she shook her head. “I wish I had thought of bringing my broomstick.”

“Can’t be helped,” Coran said as he reached into the back. “Let me check the map. Surely, there must be a gas station somewhere.”

“Yeah, probably a day’s walk from here,” Lance grumbled as he flopped back onto the brown grass. “Man, I hope we’re not out here at night. It’s going to freeze.”

“We have fur coats,” Hunk said.

“Sure we do,” Lance said as he pointed to Allura, “but she doesn’t.”

“I’ll be fine,” Allura said as she rubbed her arms, “but thank you, Lance. Worse case I could cast a heat spell on myself.”

Shiro narrowed his eyes. “Let’s save that for a last resort-”

“A ha! We’re saved,” Coran said as he pointed on the map. “I just remembered there is a small town nearby. Mermaidton.”

Keith looked over Coran’s shoulder and frowned. “There’s nothing marked on the map.”

“And you won’t find it on most maps,” Coran said as he folded it up. “It’s a small town, but has a very rich history in magic.”

“Really?” Allura asked intrigued.

“Oh yes, although in the last few decades it’s become more of a traditional town, but the locals are very welcoming of witches. Alfor, your mother and I visited there years ago. It’s very quaint.”

“So, would this town have a mechanic?” Shiro asked. “Or at least a place where we can stay?”

“Yes,” Coran said as he shook a finger, “and we don’t have to worry about you hiding your cat forms.” He frowned. “Course, only catch is that it’s about an hour walk from here.”

“Which means it’ll be dusk by the time we get there,” Allura muttered.

“It’s better than nothing,” Shiro replied as he crossed his arms. “Worse case we just spend the night there.”

Coran nodded. “And I’ll bet you anything the town is all set up to have a grand old time tonight.”

“Ooh, think they’ll have free food?” Hunk asked as he rubbed his hands.

“Probably,” Lance said as he began to smile, “and hey I bet they have some party somewhere. We could-”

“Let’s save the plans until after we get there,” Allura said as she reached inside the car for her purse and coat. “We do have a bit of a walk ahead of us.”

“Right,” Shiro said as he gestured to the others. “Let’s go. I rather get there before it gets dark.”

080808080808080808080808080808080808080

Keith narrowed his eyes as he rubbed his neck and looked over to Coran. “Are you certain this is the right place?”

Coran looked at his map before scratching at his head. “Um, yes, I’m positive.”

“That’s not comforting,” Hunk stated as he crossed his arms.

Keith nodded in agreement. They stood at the town gates. Black and orange streamers were torn on the ground like someone had ripped them down in a hurry and didn’t bother to clean up the mess.

There were remains of what Keith assumed was a scarecrow with bits of a half torn smiling face staring up at them. The weirdest part was how silent it was. Peeking inside, there was a large running fountain, but there was no living soul in sight.

No one walking around, no one sitting on their step chatting and no one poking their heads out the door on what should be one of the most festive night of the year.

“Could this place be abandoned?” Pidge asked as she crossed her arms.

“The buildings look too new for that,” Allura said as she picked up a scrap of torn paper from the ground. “Look, this says ‘Happy Halloween’ with the current year.”

“This is just getting creepy,” Hunk said as he shivered and stepped back.

Allura smiled as she patted his arm. “I’m sure it’s fine. Everyone is probably just in another part of town.”

Shiro frowned as he poked his head in. “I’m not so certain. Look at all the decorations laying on the ground.”

Keith saw what Shiro meant. Various parts of paper ghosts, fake mummies and pumpkins were either torn or smashed across the street.

“It’s like a stampede came through here,” Hunk muttered. 

Lance sniffed the air and gave a tight frown. “This place doesn’t smell right. Is that just me?”

“No, it’s not,” Keith said as he wrinkled his nose. The scent of fur, blood and drool struck him as soon as they got near the gates. “You guys smell it too, right?”

“Smell, what?” Allura asked.

“Danger, if I were to guess,” Shiro said darkly.

Hunk spun on his heels and pointed ahead. “Okay, time to head back to the car and just camp there. I rather take a chance on Allura’s magic fixing it-”

“Hold it,” Pidge said as she grabbed the back of Hunk’s shirt and dug her feet into the ground. “We can’t leave yet.”

Hunk turned around and counted on his fingers. “Uh, hello. Spooky quiet town and we’re all smelling the scent of something that probably is not friendly that attacked this place, I say that’s more than good reason.”

“It is,” Shiro said, “but there could be people that need help.” He fingered one of the torn streamers from the gates. “Whatever happened was recent and there could be people hurt.”

“Or, and hear me out here, they all had the common sense to leave and are all just out camping nearby,” Hunk suggested.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “You really believe that?”

Hunk raised and lowered his hands. “No, but I can dream it can’t I?”

“In any case, we better investigate,” Keith said as he stepped forward. “Should we split up?”

“Yes, but in groups of two,” Allura said as she looked around. “Lance and Pidge, you two go with Shiro and check out the eastern side. Coran, Hunk, Keith and I will search the western side.”

“Sounds good,” Shiro replied as he crossed his arm. “Meet back here in an hour.”

Hunk sighed as he walked closely behind Keith. “I still say this is a bad idea. Spending Halloween in an actual scary place is not my idea of fun.”

“You’re not alone,” Keith muttered as he find the scent only grew stronger as they walked.

08080808080808080808080808080808080808080  
Keith kept his eyes and ears open as they walked. They attempted to knock on a few doors but discovered they were either unlocked or missing from something very heavy and large ramming into it. Keith ran his fingers over the claw marks on the door frame.

His nose wrinkled as the dangerous scent from behind hit him. “Something bad ran through here.”

Allura gave a nod as she looked closer. “Agreed,” she frowned as she grasped. “It’s odd, but I’m certain I’ve seen drawings of these kind of claw marks from one of father’s books.” She shut her eyes in thought. “I wish I could remember which one.”

Coran grimly picked up the remains of tattered witch hats. “Whatever it is, I doubt it’s friendly. I’m leaning towards Hunk’s suggestion of leaving this place.”

“Which we could still do,” Hunk voiced.

“We need to make sure whatever came here isn’t still out there to attack another town,” Keith said sternly, “but it’s weird we haven’t stumbled across anything.” He shook his head as he gestured to the right. “I’m just going to check out this next house and then we can move on.”

“Alright, but let’s hurry,” Allura said with a frown. “It won’t be long until we’re due to meet Shiro.”

Keith nodded as he poked his head into the next house. Just like the others, the door had been torn down and the inside was a mess. Glasses and plates had been shattered on the floor. Furniture had been ripped to shreds and knocked over. Then there was the scent of blood.

Keith shivered as he rubbed his arms. There had been a fight here, and he had a feeling the people of the house hadn’t won. He frowned.

_But where are they,?_ he thought. _If the people here were killed, where are the bodies? Did they get dragged away?_

Keith then felt something brush against his foot. Frowning, Keith kneeled and spotted something dark sticking out of the light brown hardwood floor. He gave a grunt as he yanked it free.

It was a broken claw and the tip looked as sharp as any needle. Keith cringed as he pocketed it. “Maybe Allura could use this to identify-”

Yoo-hoo!

Keith whirled around, prepared to attack. “What was that?”

Yoo-hoo!

Keith looked up and blinked dumbly. A black cat stared down at him from one of the top shelves that still remained on the wall.

For a brief second, Keith thought it was Shiro in his cat form, but he knew from the scent it wasn’t. Except for being a bit leaner, the cat did almost looked identical to Shiro.

“Must be the same breed as Shiro,” Keith muttered.

The cat opened his mouth and said a meow that very much sounded like the words ‘Yoo-hoo’.

Keith raised an eyebrow. “That’s a..different meow,” he said as he approached. “Look, I’m a cat too. Can you tell me what-”

Suddenly, the cat hissed at him.

Keith stepped back, believing he was the cause until he heard a deep growl. He spun around and felt his blood run cold as he spotted a massive paw appear from the stairs that lead up stairs.

Keith backed up as the cat continued to hiss.

“Well, think we found what we were looking for,” Keith grumbled.

08080808080808080808080808080808080808080808080

Outside on the street, Hunk’s ears twitched. He narrowed his eyes as he looked to the house Keith had entered. “Something’s wrong,” he said.

Allura frowned. “What is it?”

“I..I think I heard a growl and it wasn’t Keith’s,” Hunk said as he marched forward. “I’m going to see-”

Suddenly, Keith in his red lion form was flung through the door. Hunk stumbled as Keith scrambled back to his feet and stood protectively in front of them.

“What’s going on?” Allura asked as Coran shoved her behind him.

Hunk’s eyes narrowed as they heard more growling came from in the house. A massive head of a black wolf appeared. His eyes were blood read and his teeth were razor sharp as he snarled. 

Hunk gulped as the wolf stepped outside. The thing was a big as a Shiro in his lion form. “I..didn’t know wolves get that big.”  
“They can’t,” Coran said grimly. “That’s not just a wolf, that’s a werewolf.”

Hunk paled as Keith growled. “A werewolf?!”

Allura gasped. “Of course, now I remember where I saw those claw marks before. Father had a whole book about them.”

“That’s a big thing to forget,” Hunk snapped but yelped as the wolf stepped closer. “What do we-”

Keith whirled his head around and growl at him. Hunk blinked as Keith gestured his head to the right before returning his attention back to the wolf. Hunk frowned in confusion until the meaning dawned on him.

“What?! Keith, we are not running away and leaving you here to fight a werewolf!” he shouted.

“He wants to what?!” Allura in the same angry tone. “We will do no such thing-”

The wolf tried to snap at Hunk, but Keith swiftly shoved him away and gestured to Hunk again.

“I don’t think we have much choice,” Coran said.

Hunk’s fists tightened. No way! He was scared to death, but no way could they leave Keith here. There had to be another-

Yoo-hoo!

A purple ball dropped from the sky and with a loud splat landed on the werewolf’s face. Blinded, the werewolf howled with rage as he desperately tried to wipe it away as if it was stinging him.

“What the-” Hunk muttered, but then heard the weird meow again. 

He looked up and saw a black cat that looked a lot like Shiro standing on top of the roof. Before Hunk could comprehend, the cat leapt in the air, flipped and shifted into a human form as it landed perfectly on it’s feet.

For a second, Hunk thought he was staring at Shiro,but the guy’s hair was different and he had a much leaner body.

“RUN!” the man shouted as he reached into a pouch hanging off his belt. “It won’t distract him forever.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Hunk snapped.

He quickly shifted into his lion form and without a second thought, he tossed Coran onto his back and Keith did the same to Allura. The two humans clung for dear life as they ran. The man was close behind as he tossed another purple ball at the werewolf.

As they ran around the block, Hunk thought they were in the clear, but then heard the howls. He looked up and felt like he would faint upon the sight.

Several werewolves were peering down at them from atop the rooftops, some even poking their heads out of the windows. All of them growling and snarling like they were all arguing on who got to kill them first.

“Head to the hospital at the end of the street,” the man shouted as he pointed.

Hunk didn’t argue and did as he was told. Keith was close behind as they spotted the building. They skidded to a halt at the entrance sign. The howls were getting closer as Hunk and Keith shifted into their human forms.

Sven never stopped as he raced up the steps and pounded on the doors. “Open up! It’s Sven,” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Hunk’s body shook as he turned around and saw a group of werewolves heading straight towards them. Then to his relief, the doors open.

“Get inside,” Sven ordered as he pointed.

The group didn’t hesitate, and Sven refused to move from his spot until they were all inside. The doors slammed shut as the wolves reached the steps.

“Brace the doors,” Sven called out as several other people came running.

“These doors are wooden, it won’t hold them,” Coran cried.

“Yes it will,” said a young woman as she and Sven put their backs against the door, “but we need more weight.”

Hunk nodded and slammed his body against it, despite his shaking knees. The others obeyed and they felt something very large ram into the door. Hunk held his breath, afraid the door wouldn’t hold, but then it when quiet.

Growls could be heard beyond the door, but they quickly faded. Before long, all Hunk could hear was his pounding heart as he slumped against the door. “W-we’re safe now?”

“Yes,” Sven said as he tapped the doors. “The wood in this building was strengthened by magical wards when it was built a century ago.”

Allura’s eyes widened. “A century ago? That’s a long time, are you positive it can hold?”

“They’ve faded,” said the young woman from behind as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, “but they’re holding...for now at least.”

Hunk let out the breath of air he had been holding in before the looked to Sven. “Thanks for the rescue, man.” 

Sven nodded. “You are welcome, but I’m sorry to say you are now trapped here with us.”

“We’ll gladly accept that over being a werewolf’s new chew toy,” Coran replied.

Hunk then clapped his hands as his eyes narrowed. “Well, now that I know we won’t die a violent and painful death, I am now free to do this.”

His locked his gaze onto Keith, shut his eyes and promptly bonked Keith on the head.

“Ow,” Keith hissed as he rubbed his head. “What was that-”

“Leave you to fight a werewolf by yourself? What were you thinking?!” Hunk snapped. “You could have been werewolf chow!”

“I quite agree,” Allura chided as she speedily also bonked Keith on the head. “Don’t you dare ever attempt to try something so foolish again. If you do, I’m not letting you out of my sight for a month.”

“Ow, alright, I get it,” Keith grumbled as he rubbed his sore head. “I won’t do it again- Coran, lower your hand! I said I get it.”

“I should certainly hope so,” Coran huffed as he lowered his hand.

“I hate to interrupt,” spoke the young woman, “but..I believe there are more pressing matters at hand.” 

Hunk blushed slightly as he rubbed his neck. “Yeah..sorry...uh.”

“Plaxum,” the girl said with a nod, “and you already met Sven.”

Allura nodded as she looked to him. “You’re a familiar, may I ask where your witch is?”

“Currently in hiding at his house,” Sven stated as he offered her a hand, “and I’m assuming you are a witch too.”

“Yes,” Allura said as she pointed behind. “This is Coran, and these are two of my familiars, Keith and Hunk, my other-” Suddenly she gasped and paled as she whirled around. “Oh no. Shiro, Lance and Pidge are still out there!”

Hunk’s body went numb as Keith suddenly look sick. 

“We got to find them,” Coran stated as he charged at the door, but Plaxum stopped.

“No, you can’t! The werewolves will be expecting you now,” she warned.

“But we have to go,” Keith said insisted and looked to Sven. “They’ll be killed.”

“Or turned into more werewolves,” Hunk said as he hugged himself. “It just takes one bite, right? Wait, Keith, were you bitten?”

He grabbed Keith’s arm and began to search for bite marks until Keith yanked his arm away.

“Knock it off, I’m fine, Hunk,” Keith replied. “I didn’t get bitten.”

“And that is actually an old myth,” Coran added. “A person doesn’t just become a werewolf from a single bite.” He held up two fingers. “You are either born a werewolf, or you become a werewolf through a very complicated ceremony that includes receiving bite marks on both your arms and legs. I imagine that myth originates from the latter.”

“I don’t care about that,” Keith snapped as he looked ready to kicked the door open. “The others are still out there and those wolves will murder them-”

“No, they won’t,” Sven said as he held up his hands. “Despite the invasion, the wolves haven’t killed anyone. At least not yet.”

“What?” Hunk asked as he scratched his head, “but the town is empty and the destruction..we just assumed-”

“It’s a long story,” Plaxum said as she pointed ahead. “We’ll take you to the mayor. She’s currently monitoring the victims. You’ll understand it better once you see.”

“Victims?” Hunk muttered as he rubbed his arm. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Follow us,” Sven said as he lead the way and looked to Allura, “and..you might be able to help us.”

Hunk gulped but found himself nodding along with Allura as they followed Sven down the hallway.

080808080808080808080808080808080808080808080

The longer they stayed in the town, the more Shiro felt Hunk had the right idea to leave this place. There were still no sign of the missing residents, and the deeper into the town they went the more claw marks they found. The scent of blood wasn’t calming Shiro’s nerves either.

“We should start heading back,” Pidge voiced as she pointed over her shoulder. “It’ll be dark soon and it’s almost time to meet up with the others.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said as he rubbed his neck.

He rather have the whole group together then separated in the dark.

“What do we do then?” Lance asked. “Go back to the car?”

“It be night by the time we do that, but I don’t trust spending the night here in the town,” Shiro said as he crossed his arms. “We would be better off making camp-”

A sharp howl echoed through the air. The hairs at the back of Shiro’s neck stood up.

“W-was that a wolf?” Lance stammered as he frantically looked side to side.

Suddenly, they heard more howls.

“Yeah, and it sounds like a whole pack of them,” Pidge said as she stood closer to Lance.

Shiro swallowed. He knew wolf howls, but these didn’t sound like regular wolves. There was something more vicious in the cries.

“Go into your lion forms,” Shiro ordered.

Lance and Pidge turned to him in shock. “Why?” Pidge asked.

“We’ll have better protection,” Shiro snapped as he began to shift his body. “Just do it!”

Lance and Pidge didn’t hesitant. Within seconds, Lance transformed into his blue lion form and Pidge transformed into her green lioness form while Shiro changed into his black lion form. 

Lance’s ears twitched. “You hear that?”

Pidge growled. “Lots of wolves. Sounds like they’re all around us.”

Shiro paced. He could hear running feet. Snarls. Chomping teeth. He caught glimpses of shadows out of the corner of his eyes and he growled.

“Stay alert,” he told the two. “We need to stick together.”

“We need to get out of here,” Pidge said as she took a stepped forward and looked around. “If we head into that alley-”

A shadow jumped and headed straight towards Pidge.

Shiro prepared to jumped, but Lance beat him to it as he shoved Pidge away and the attacker pinned him. The giant wolf, who was missing one eye, growled and let his drool drip. Lance snarled and attempted to swipe with his paw, but the wolf was fast.

The wolf bite down hard on Lance’s front legs. Lance roared in pain and frantically tried to shake off the wolf, but to Shiro’s horror his body seem to go limp.

“GET OFF OF LANCE,” Shiro roared as he charged and head butted into the wolf’s side. The wolf rolled and tumbled away before it halted and shook his head.

“Lance! Lance!” Shiro cried as Pidge shook off the shock and raced over. “Are you okay?”

Lance hissed in pain as he struggled to stand up, and wobbled. “It hurts,” he growled as he looked to the wound.

Shiro growled and locked his gaze with the wolf. The creature hadn’t moved and seemed to smirk with satisfaction as more wolves joined his side.

“I’ll make him pay,” Shiro growled.

“No,” Lance said as he weakly raised a paw. “Don’t let him bite you. That guy...he was draining me.”

“Draining you?” Pidge asked as she offered her support. “Like a vampire?”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t my blood,” Lance said as he shook his head. “Was like..he was draining my energy..it was horrible. I felt like I was dying.”

“If I wanted you dead, you would be,” the wolf sneered.

Shiro stood protectively in front of Lance as he growled. “Who are you?”

The wolf’s eyes narrowed and gave a snort. “Well, this is a surprise. I recognize your scent now, kitty. Never expected to run into you here.”

“What are you talking about?!” Pidge snapped as Lance leaned against her. “We’ve never met you before.”

“You haven’t,” Sendak said as the other wolves growl, “but Shiro has.”

Shiro blinked in confusion until he heard Lance’s whine. He turned his head in time to see Lance transform back into his cat form. He was still awake, but he was breathing heavily.

_Lance was weak enough he couldn’t hang onto his lion form?_ Shiro shut his mouth as he stare back at the wolf. _Not good, we gotta get out of here._

“Don’t recognize me?” the wolf continued and didn’t seem disturb by Lance’s transformation. “Pity, but you were rather...unwell at the time. Perhaps my other form will jog your memory.”

Shiro bared his teeth as the wolf’s body morphed until it took on a human appearance. A man wearing an eyepatch grinned wickedly back at him. “Remember me yet, kitty? My name is Sendak.”

Shiro froze. Sendak? Wait, that did sound familiar?

Flashes of his memory stirred. Shiro being held in a cage. A man holding him down as he felt his life drain from him. It was during his time with-

He felt a nip at his shoulder. Shiro jumped, but relaxed as he saw Pidge had been the culprit.

“Sorry, but we have to get out of here,” she whispered. “I’m certain these guys are werewolves.”

Shiro nodded as he took a step back. “Grab Lance and get ready to run,” he whispered.

Sendak laughed. “Are you planning on leaving us so soon, kitty?” Sendak’s crossed his arm. “I don’t think so, especially after tasting your friend here. I imagine she would be quite pleased if I collected quintessence from all of you.”

Shiro wasn’t certain what he meant by that, but he wasn’t sticking around to find out. He glanced behind and saw Pidge was gently holding Lance in her mouth.

Sendak then raised an arm and pointed forward. “Go,” the told the wolves, “and feed.”

“RUN,” Shiro cried as the wolves raced towards them.

Shiro and Pidge ran and then turned left on the next corner.

He could hear the wolves gaining on them. _Need a plan, need a plan,_ he thought. There was no way he could take on all the wolves and even if he did, it wouldn’t be long for Pidge to get caught.

_We need a place to hide,_ Shiro thought as they turned, but then regretted the choice. The end of the street was blocked by a large house that strangely appeared untouched with it’s door still shut. The house was covered in purple flowers from around the porch to the windowsills being filled to the brim with them.

Yet, there were no other side streets leading around it. There was no escape.

“Turn around,” Shiro said, but it proved too late.

The pack entered and slowed it’s pace as it stepped towards them. Shiro got in front of Pidge and growled.

“I’m not letting you have either of them,” he told the wolves. 

The wolves seemed to chuckle, until several purple balls were flung at their heads. The wolves that were hit yelped in pain as they tried to shake it off. Another sack landed in the middle of the street and exploded. The dust in the air caused Shiro to cough, but the werewolves seemed to be gagging.

“What’s going on?” Shiro muttered.

“You familiars! Up here!”

Shiro and Pidge turned their heads. A man with a think mustache tossed out another purple ball. “My door’s unlock! Get in here!”

_But the wolves will just follow us inside,_ Shiro thought.

“You’re percentage of dying goes up by 5 percent each passing second your out there,” the man cried as he looked ready to strangle them. “GET IN HERE!”

Shiro decided not to argue. “We don’t have a choice,” he told Pidge and they both bolted towards the door.

Just as he said, the door was unlocked. Yet, once inside, Shiro changed into human form, slammed the door shut and locked it. He expected to hear the beast ram the door, but they were silent.

Pidge set Lance on the floor before she became human and looked out the window. Her eyes widened. “They’re..they’re leaving.”

“Why?” Shiro asked.

“Because my house is covered in wolfbane,” the man called out as he climbed down the stairs. “Just smelling it makes them dizzy. They couldn’t set foot in my house without passing out first.”

Shiro opened his mouth to ask how he knew that, when he stopped to take a look around. The shelves were filled with marked bottles, spellbooks, beakers and amulets. A crystal ball sat on a small table in the corner where a notebook marked ‘incantations’ was neatly placed near it.

Shiro blinked until it dawned on him. “You’re a witch?”

“Of course I am,” the man huffed as he crossed his arm. “You’re a familiar, it should be obvious to you.”

“You know we’re familiars?” Shiro asked.

“Last I checked red and green lions were not a common species around these parts,” Slav said as he shook a finger. “And I’m assuming that’s not your true form. Where is your witch? If they’re powerful enough to let you have that kind of form they could be useful-”

“Shiro,” Pidge called out as she held Lance in her arms. “Lance, doesn’t look good.”

Shiro forgot the man as he ran over. Lance was panting and whined as he weakly tried to lick his wound.

Shiro grimace at the blood dripping. “That looks bad. We need to bandaged it.”

“But it was a werewolf,” Pidge stammered. “What if Lance turns into one of them-”

The man scoffed. “What? Of course he won’t!” They all turned to him as he shook his head. “That is just a myth. A person won’t become a werewolf from a single bite alone. He’ll be fine if you just clean and bandaged it.”

Pidge sighed in relief. “That’s a relief...um…”

“My name is Slav,” the man said as pointed to his left. “You should find some bandages over in my medical kit in that drawer.”

“Drawer?” Shiro asked as he rose and spotted it. Several bottled shook as he dashed over and yanked hard on the knob. “You mean this-”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Slave screamed as he steadied the bottles and glared at Shiro. “Don’t just run in here! Do you have any idea how sensitive magical ingredients are? Shaking the contents alone ruins their potency by 2.5 percent each time!”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “But..that’s rather small.”

“It’s not if you’re careless and do it several times in a row,” Slav snapped as he reached into the drawer and pulled out the kit. “Good grief, don’t you have common sense?”

Shiro felt his eye twitch as Slav went over to Pidge and opened the kit. “Hold him...what’s his name?”

“Lance,” Pidge said as she held her grip. “I’m Pidge, and that’s Shiro over there.” She held out Lance’s legs. “Also, thanks, you saved us back there.”

“You’re welcome,” Slave said as he brought out the disinfectant and rubbed it on the wound. “Although, when I heard the noise I’ll admit I had thought it was my familiar and acted on instinct until I spotted you two.” 

“Your familiar?” Shiro asked as he sat next to them and patted Lance to comfort him.

“Yes, and he may actually be the same breed as you,” Slav commented as he wrapped Lance’s legs. “You look similar.” His eyes narrowed. “Although, I’m willing to bet that’s where the similarities ends. He knows how to be careful around magic items.”

Shiro felt that twitch again, but took a deep breath. “Can you tell us what’s going on here?”

Slav gave a sigh as he finished wrapping Lance’s leg. “It all started a few days ago. Those creatures attacked us in the middle of the night and caught us off guard. I managed to make some fast wolfbane bombs to let the people near me escape, but it didn’t help the rest of the town much.” He pointed to the chair in the far corner. “There’s a blanket and a pillow there that you use for your friend.”

“Thanks,” Pidge said as she gently carried Lance, placed in him the chair with the blanket around him. “We haven’t found anyone else in the town. Are...they-”

“They’re not dead,” Slav said as he crossed his arms. “The werewolves haven’t killed anyone but...they’re not normal.”

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked as he sat near the chair and patted Lance.

Slav cringed. “I haven’t experienced it myself, but when they bite people they become weaker and not just from blood loss.” He grasped his chin. “From how I’ve heard it described, it almost sounds like they’re draining people’s energy, possibly even their quintessence.”

Lance cracked open an eye and blinked in confusion.

“It’s an energy that exists in well, everything alive,” Pidge said as she scratched his ears. “It also tends to be was used most often in magic.”

“Everyone has it, even non-magic users,” Shiro continued, “but there are people who can naturally tap into their own supply like Allura or steal it from others like wizards.”

Slav looked to Shiro as he gave a nod. “Well, good to see you have basic knowledge.”

Shiro decided to let the comment slide as he looked back to Slav. “You said they bit people, but if they’re not dead, where are they?”

“Very weak, but we’ve managed to relocate most of them to the hospital and they have defenses there to keep the wolves out. However, there are still some in their houses too weak to move and too heavily guarded for us to get to.” Slave sighed. “My theory is that the werewolves are keeping a close eye on them to take more energy once they’ve recovered.”

“And that’s what happened to Lance,” Shiro muttered as he looked to his very tired looking friend. He had said he felt drained. If those werewolves did that to him, no wonder he couldn’t keep his form.

“I don’t get it,” Pidge said as her eyes narrowed. “Werewolves shouldn’t be able to do this and why would they? From what I read they mostly try to stay out of sight.”

“From what I’ve seen they’re collecting the magic in their fur,” Slav said as he rose. “I can’t help but assume they’re gathering it for someone else.”

Shiro froze as Sendak’s words echoed in his mind. He saw him with someone else. Wait, yes, the person that wanted-

Suddenly the clock chimed. Slav automatically left the room. “Excuse me, it’s time for my third cup of tea.”

Shiro blinked. “You’re making tea now?”

“Keeping my routine is what is keeping my nerves calm while I’m trapped in here,” Slav retorted as he placed some leaves in the pot. “With that said, I’ll bring some water for your friend. Since he’s a familiar, there’s a thirty percent chance he’ll recover must faster than the other victims.”

“That’s a relief,” Pidge said and then froze. “With that said, what do we do now? Not to mention the others are still out there.”

Slav poked his head into the room with a bowl of water. “Others?”

“Our witch Allura, our friend Coran and two other familiars who are cats like me and Pidge,” Shiro explained.

Slav frowned as he set the water next to Lance’s head. “Be careful not to spill. As for your friends, there’s an eighty percent chance they have already been attacked. Either they have all become drained and captured or there’s a twenty percent chance they have found their way to the hospital and are safe.”

“Is there a way to find out if they are there?” Shiro asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Slav said. “It’s been easy for my familiar, Sven, to sneak through the city unseen. He managed to bring a walkie talkie to the hospital in order for me to keep in contact with the mayor. I’ve been making them wolfbane bombs for them to use as weapons.”

“You mean those purple balls if you’ve been throwing, right?” Pidge said.

“Correct,” Slav said as returned to the kitchen. “Mind you, those will only hold out for so long. Our plan has mainly been surviving until the Blade of Marmora can come.”

Pidge tilted her head. “The Blade of what? I’ve never heard of them.”

“There’s a reason,” Shiro said as he crossed his arm. “Allura told me about them once. They’re a very secret group that take it upon themselves to deal with witches who abuse their magic to break the law or deal withsome other dangerous situation that’s caused by magic.”

“Sssooo...they’re like a magic police force?” Pidge asked.

Slav tilted his hand back and forth. “It depends on the situation,” he said as he brought in three mugs. “Here, a cup of tea will calm your nerves by at least twenty percent.”

“Thanks,” Shiro said as he sniffed, but wasn’t too fond of the strong smell. What did he use for tea leaves?

“So, you’re just biding time until they come to get rid of the wolves?” Pidge commented as she sipped at her tea and then stuck out her tongue.

“Yes, but I fear the wolves will do something drastic in the meantime,” Slav said as he sipped and gripped his mug, “especially since it’s Halloween tonight.”

“And magic stealing werewolves are probably a lot stronger tonight,” Shiro said grimly as he set down the mug. “We got to contact that hospital. We need to know if our friends are there.”

“Yes, yes, but first,” Slav said as he sipped. “Let me finish my tea. I’m only at ten percent more calm.”

Shiro felt the twitch again. “How about I contact them then?”

“You don’t know the secret greeting. We created them incase the werewolves realized we had communication with each other.”

“Then just tell me the greeting,” Shiro said as he forced a smile.

“Why? Far less confusion if I do it myself,” Slav said as he sipped. “Good grief, you are impatient. Are you certain you are cut out to be working with a witch?”

Shiro shut his mouth as he sat and resisted the urge to scream into Lance’s pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

Allura couldn’t believe what she saw. The room was jam packed with people laying on the floor, some of them sharing blankets since it was likely there wasn’t many to go around. She noticed some leaning against the wall, but were struggling to do that.

“The werewolves did this?” she asked.

“Yes,” Luxia, the mayor of the town replied. Allura could see the bags under her eyes. She had to wonder when the poor woman had last been able to sleep. “They caught us off guard and drained them. Very few of us managed to avoid this.”

“I was lucky,” Plaxum said as she reached under her shirt and pulled out a star pendant. “I always wear my grandmother’s old silver necklace for good luck. The one that tried to bite me backed off instantly.”

“Probably knew his mouth would burn if he had tried,” Coran commented softly. “Are they getting better?”

“Yes, but it’s slow,” Luxia said as she handed a man a tray of drinks. “Our local witch Slav has been making us medicine to give to them to regain their strength faster, but Sven can only carry so much at a time.”

“I just delivered the last shipment when I saw you folks,” Sven said as he looked to Keith. “I’m sorry I just didn’t change forms to warn you, but I was afraid of attracting attention.”

“You still saved us by taking us here,” Keith said as he crossed his arms, “that’s enough in my books.”

Allura frowned. She still didn’t like that Keith had tried to sacrifice himself for the others to escape, but she would be saving that discussion later.

“Sssooo, do you guys have some big plan to get rid of these wolves?” Hunk asked as looked to Luxia.

“Not much, beyond waiting for the Blade of Marmora to arrived as we told you earlier,” Luxia said and shook her head. “Although, I’m afraid if they don’t arrive by tonight something terrible will happen.”

Sven cringed as he crossed his arms. “Regarding that, I have to tell you-”

“Alien to Mermaid Queen,” a garbled voice suddenly broke out. “I repeat, Alien to Mermaid Queen, do you copy?”

“What the blazes is that?” Coran asked.

“It’s Slav,” Luxia said as she reached into her pocket. “We decided to use the costumes we were going to wear for the Halloween festival as code names.” She brought out a small walkie talkie and pressed a button. “Mermaid Queen here, Alien. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, and no,” Slav replied. “We seem to have more visitors in town. I currently have three familiars inside my house with me.”

Allura’s eyes widened and saw Keith, Coran and Hunk were doing the same.

“They are wondering if their witch and other friends are with you,” Slave continued. “Do you-”

“Shiro!” Allura yelled over Luxia’s shoulder. “Shiro, Pidge, Lance! Are you there?”

They heard mumbling and movement on the other end.

“Just hand it here! Allura?! Allura, you there?!” Shiro’s voice called out.

Allura let out the breath of air she’d been holding in. “Yes, and so are the others. We’re all unharmed. What about you?”

“Shiro and I are okay,” Pidge replied, “but...Lance got attacked by one of the werewolves.”

“He’s hurt?!” Keith called out.

“Yes, but just on the arm which we bandaged,” Shiro replied. “He seems very weak, but he’s slowly recovering. Do you guys know-”

“About the werewolf infestation, yeah,” Hunk replied, “Mayor Luxia was just filling us in on the whole thing.”

Coran sighed. “So, it looks like we’re all trapped here for the time being,” Pidge remarked. “At least until the Blades arrived.”

Sven cleared his throat. “About that, I’m afraid that’s not going to be an option.”

“What do you mean?” Plaxum said as she touched Sven’s arm. “Aren’t they coming?”

“Far as I know, but I heard the werewolves talking with Sendak,” Sven continued as their eyes hardened. “They plan to ‘finish their work tonight’ and by the sounds of things they need to ensure there aren’t any witnesses.”

A dead silence fell over the group until Hunk spoke. “But...but they can’t get in here, right? The spells on the building-”

“Are strong but not invincible,” Slav replied. “With it being both Halloween and a full moon, they’ll be at their full strength. It wouldn’t take them very long to wear out the spells and break in.”

“So let’s evacuate the town,” Keith replied.

“There are too many people to move,” Luxia said in a bitter tone. “We could possibly save some, but we would have to abandon so many.”

“And the chances of that succeeding are only ten percent,” Slav replied grimly. “There is a chance the Blades could arrive in time, but that’s only five percent.”

“We can’t sit around and do nothing,” Keith replied. “We’ll be sitting ducks.”

“Agreed,” Shiro replied. “What about those wolfbane bombs of yours?”

“I’ve been making as many as I can, but I don’t have enough to drive all of them out of town,” Slav replied.

Allura gasped as she grasped her chin. “Wait...I might know a way.” All eyes turned to her as she crossed her arms. “In one of my father’s old books there was a spell for creating a barrier that could block werewolves from entering.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about that spell,” Slav replied with a gasp. “You know it?”

“I have it memorized by heart,” Allura said with a smirk.

Hunk raised an eyebrow. “Why do you have that kind of spell memorized?”

Coran grinned. “Oh, that’s because when Allura was a child she was once terrified werewolves would enter her bedroom. She had all the silver in the house spread around her bed until her mother fetch the old spell book and taught it to Allura. It was so precious. Why I-”

Allura coughed as she blushed. “Thank you, Coran, but we all don’t need to hear that.”

“Not now at least,” Pidge replied, “but you really think you could cast it.”

“Yes, but the problem is I need two items,” Allura said as she counted on her fingers. “First, I need a personal item of the werewolf like a piece of fur.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed as he reached into his pocket. “What about a werewolf claw?” He brought out a sharp black broken claw. “I found this in the house.”

“Perfect,” Allura said as she took it, “but now I need as much silver as we have. The more silver the bigger I can create the barrier.”

“You can use my necklace,” Plaxum said as she removed it from her neck and held it out. 

“Thank you, but are you certain?,” Allura said as she took it. “Once cast you won’t be able to wear it again.”

“If it saves the town, I’ll gladly give it up,” Plaxum said with a firm nod.

Allura gave a smile, but then frown. “With this..I would be able to create a barrier to protect the hospital.”

“But that still leaves the people stuck insides the homes,” Slav said grimly. “Where could we get more silver?”

Luxia gasped. “Wait, I know, my office,” she said as she looked to Allura. “There’s a giant silver bowl I keep in there for special ceremonies.”

“How big exactly?” Allura asked.

“Big enough for two cats to sit in,” Sven said. “I know the one she’s referring too.”

“If we include that and Plaxum’s necklace that might be just enough to cover the town,” Allura said as she pocketed the claw and necklace.

“The problem will be getting to the office then,” Keith said. “Where is it exactly?”

“Across town,” Luxia said. “Can you cast the spell once you’re there?”

“Yes, but the spell won’t have any affect if I’m interrupted,” Allura replied, “and that’s if we can get across town without being seen.”

Slav sighed. “We need a way to distract the werewolves. We could throw the bombs at them.”

“Sendak would realize something is up,” Sven retorted. “We need something special for him.”

Coran shut his eyes in thought. “You know...I have a rather crazy idea.”

“Right now, crazy ideas have at least a twenty-five percent chance of not ending with all of us dying,” Slav replied. “What is it?”

“Challenge Sendak to the right of leadership,” Coran said.

Hunk choked as he stared at Coran like he grew an extra head. “Coran, that’s insane.”

“Now, now hear me out,” Coran said as he waved his hands. “Werewolves are very territorial and prideful. They’ll never back out from a challenge even if it’s from a non-werewolf.”

“How often has a non-werewolf actually won a fight?” Sven asked.

Coran grasped his chin. “Once...or twice maybe, but granted I believe that second one involved a sword of some sort-”

“How does challenging Sendak for leadership help us exactly?” Luxia asked.

“It would provide a distraction since the other werewolves will likely be more interested in watching the fight,” Allura said gently. “Granted, we better assume not all of them will watch.”

“I can create more wolfbane bombs,” Slav said. “It may not be enough to drive them out of town, but it should give us the time for the spell to be cast.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s great and all,” Hunk voiced, “but who exactly will go and fight Sendak-”

“I will,” Shiro stated firmly.

Allura’s heart leapt into her throat. “Shiro, no, you’ll-”

“I’m the best fighter in our group and...I have a feeling Sendak will be interested if it’s me,” Shiro said.

Allura raised an eyebrow. What exactly did Shiro mean by that?

“I don’t like it,” Keith voiced, “but we don’t have a lot of time to argue this.”

Allura sighed as she shut her eyes and nodded. “Alright, but Shiro remember you are just fighting long enough for me to cast the spell. Just survive, don’t try to win.”

“I’ll remind him of that,” Pidge voiced. “We’ll try to help Slav make bombs here.”

“And in the meantime we’ll get ready on this end,” Luxia stated and looked to Allura. “Thank you for this.”

“Thank me after I successfully cast the spell,” Allura said as she hugged herself. _And after we’re positive everyone is alright._

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Sendak breathed in deeply. The moon was full and high, and with each passing second he could feel the magic of the night strengthening his body. His made a fist and smirk.

_To think not only do we get to hunt, but I can also track down Shiro. She’ll be most pleased if I’m able to bring him as well._

He heard two of his wolves approach and shift into human form.

“Sendak, everyone is prepared,” spoke the female of the two. “When should we strike?”

Sendak turned to her and smirked. “Not much longer. Soon the moon will be at it’s highest peak.”

“But, Sir, we’re strong now,” she said with a growl as she held out her hands. “Would it not be better to strike sooner than later?”

“Patience,” Sendak replied calmly. “We need to ensure no one is left alive and the most efficient way is to ensure we are in top form.” He patted her shoulders as he flashed his fangs. “Beside, you’ll be able to have the most fun that way.”

She grinned in return, but Sendak notice the other werewolf was frowning.

“Something on your mind?” Sendak asked as his eyes narrowed.

The werewolves, one of the younger ones Sendak recalled, swallowed as he looked up. “It’s just….is it really needed? We’ve collected more than enough. We could just go?”

“Our instructions were clear,” Sendak said sharply as he tucked his hands behind his back. “Collect and then make certain no one lives to tell the tale. We don’t want the Blades finding out what we’ve been doing.”

It had been difficult for his mistress to keep things as secret as is. If the Blades were made aware his mistress would not be happy..

“I know,” said the werewolf, “but they’re just helpless. It’s doesn’t feel fair.”

“Fair?” Sendak said as he loomed over him. “Since when do we play fair?” He grabbed the young werewolf by his neck and dangled him in the air. The youngling gasped as he struggled to break free.

“Life isn’t about being fair, it’s about being the strongest to survive,” Sendak snapped. “That is the way of the world, and that is how I lead.” The youngling’s face was turning blue as Sendak brought his face close enough for their noses to be touching. He wanted to make certain he could smell the youngling’s fear. “Do you understand?”

The youngling gave a weak nod.

“Good,” Sendak snapped as he dropped him.

The young wolf coughed as the female wolf helped him up. Sendak kept his body still as he raised his arm. “Now get out of my sight and prepare for the hunt! If I hear another word of such nonsense, I’ll have the pack practice attacking on you.”

“Yes, Sir,” the young wolf asked as he was lead way.

Sendak scoffed as he turned around to stare at the town. After this mission, he better make certain none of the other wolves were developing such soft ideas. He breathed in deeply and relaxed as he felt more magic flow into his body.

Soon….it wouldn’t be long now.

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“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Keith said as he pointed on the map. They were all gathered in the upper floor of the hospital. Hunk was currently handing out the small amount of food he made from the left over rations. “Shiro will go to the edge of the town where Sven has seen most of the wolves gather.”

“And hopefully Sendak will take up the challenge,” Coran spoke as he took his plate. “Meanwhile, the rest of us will focussing on helping Allura.”

“Right,” Keith confirmed as he pointed. “Pidge and Lance will stay with Shiro, while Slav heads here with more bombs in case Sendak pulls something funny. Meanwhile, Hunk, Plaxum and I will escort Allura to cast the spell.”

“And while Slav is making his way here with his extra bombs, Sven, Mayor Luxia and I hold the fort here,” Coran with his hands tucked behind his back.

“I will also send some of the people who are strong enough to watch windows and be ready to throw the bombs,” Luxia said. “In case things go wrong, we can try to escape through the backdoor and try to get out of the city.”

“I doubt we’ll make it that far though,” Sven said grimly, “and it’s impossible for us to carry the ones still too weak to move.”

“We’ll have to make certain it doesn’t come to that,” Allura said as she gripped the silver necklace. “We better get ready. It won’t be long before Shiro contacts us to say he’s on his way.”

“Yeah,” Keith said with a sigh as he rolled up the map and took his plate. “I’ll go check the windows while I eat.”

Allura frowned, glanced to Hunk who gave an encouraging nod before she took her plate and followed.

She found Keith staring out the window with the plate of food set on the floor. Keith glanced to her as she moved next to him.

“You alright?” Allura asked as she touched his shoulder.

“Yeah...I’m just not fond of Shiro fighting alone,” Keith muttered. “I know he has to but-”

“But you don’t want anything to happen to him,” Allura replied as she patted his shoulder. “I know and that’s exactly how we felt when you were trying to fight that werewolf by yourself.”

Keith opened and shut his mouth. “We..we didn’t have a choice. I was trying to-”

“Protect us, I realize that, but in that case there were other options,” Allura said as she set down her plate and hugged him. “I’ve already lost my parents, I couldn’t bare it if anything happened to any of you. You scared me.”

She felt Keith’s body slowly relax as he hugged her back. “Sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Allura said softly after a sigh. “Sometimes I realize everyone has to face things alone, like with Shiro and Sendak, but I only allow if it’s our only option.” She raised her head. “We are a team, and a family and that means we face everything together. Understand?”

Keith blinked, but then gave a slow nod. “Okay, I’ll promise to remember that.”

Allura smiled as she let go and pat his back. “Let’s eat quickly, and I’ll help you check the windows. It’ll be faster with two people.”

“Sounds good,” Keith said as he picked up the plates of food. “I wonder how Shiro is making out.”

Allura took her plate and began to pick at her food. “I imagine he’s doing everything he can to remain calm.”

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“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Slav roared as he grabbed Shiro’s wrists and pulled them away. “You’ll ruin the whole potion if you add those!”

Shiro’s eyes twitched and resisted the urge to scream into the boiling cauldron that sat before him. “You said we had to add clovers and elf weed to it.”

Slav huffed as he took the ingredients out of Shiro’s hand. “I said we needed elf weed and then clovers! You were clearly about to dump them into the cauldron at once!”

Shiro scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “What difference does that make?”

“The order of ingredients is vital,” Slav snapped as he dropped in the elf weed and stirred. “Doing them out of order can ruin the potency of the potion by thirty percent!” He dropped the clovers in as he narrowed his eyes. “Good grief. I never had to explain that to Sven, are you certain you’re cut out to be a familiar?”

Shiro bit his tongue as he held back a growl. _I wonder if it would be immature of me to shift into cat form and leave black hair on his furniture?_

“Hey, what stinks in here?”

Shiro forget his rage as he turned around. Lance gave a weak smile as he leaned against the doorframe with Pidge as his side.

“We’re making the wolfbane bombs for the plan,” Shiro said as he approached and wrapped an arm around Lance. “How are you feeling?”

Lance groaned as he leaned into Shiro and rubbed his eyes. “Like a wet noodle, but enough to be useful.”

“So he claims,” Pidge said as she crossed her arms. “I still think you should stay inside-”

“And let you guys have all the fun? No way,” Lance said with a smirk, but it changed to a frown as he looked up to Shiro. “You sure you want to fight that Sendak guy though?” Shiro felt him shiver. “I won’t lie, but when he drained me it wasn’t pleasant.”

Shiro found himself giving Lance’s shoulders a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want to, but we need to and I get the feeling I’m the one that will grab his attention the most.”

“Yeah,” Pidge said in agreement as she grasped his chin. “He did say something about you two having met before. Any idea what he meant by that?”

Shiro swallowed as he rubbed his neck. “I..I might, but the memories are hazy and I rather not say until I’m certain.”

Lance and Pidge exchanged a concerned look, and both look ready to question it until Slav spoke.

“Pidge, hand me the box exactly to the right of you on the table,” Slav said as he held out his hand. “Those have the balls I’ve been filling up with the potion.” He tapped the side of the cauldron causing the ladle to vibrate. “It should be ready now, but I need to fill them while it just boiled.”

“Sure thing,” Pidge said as she picked up the box and raced over. “How many balls do you have left?”

“This is my last box until I make more of them,” Slav said as he picked up a ball, tapped the top which caused it to split open. “Funny thing, I had originally designed these for the Halloween party. I was going to fill them with candy to toss at the children.”

Lance blinked as he pointed. “You..were going to throw candy bombs at the kids?”

“It’s faster and more sanitary than just dumping candy into their bags,” Slav said as he filled a ball and then set it aside. “Besides, they all loved the test round I did and only one got candy stuck in her hair.”

“That’s nice,” Pidge said, although she sounded unsure. She glanced to the clock and cringed. “We better get a move on. The moon is already up and if we don’t hurry, those wolves will attack before we’re ready.”

“I just need exactly six minutes and these bombs should be set,” Slav said as he filled up another ball and looked to Shiro. “I hope you are better at fighting than potion making. I estimate you have a forty percent chance of actually beating him.”

Shiro sighed as he crossed his arms. “And the chances I don’t?”

Slav went quiet as he set another ball on the table. “I’ll just say you have a higher chance of just surviving and leave it there.”

Shiro gave a nod before he turned to the window and spotted the bright full moon. Any other night it would have been a comfort, but right now all it did was fill him with dread.

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It didn’t take long for Shiro to find the pack. As Sven predicted, they were standing near the front gates of the town, all of them looking eager to sweep over the town like a dark wave. Shiro pulled his head back around the corner as he looked to Pidge and Lance. 

“Okay, you two, go to the top floor,” Shiro said as he pointed to the house. “You should be able to spot anything if one of the other wolves tries to pull something.”

Pidge sighed. “I still say we should just watch you from here.”

Shiro shook his head. “No, you’re too close and Lance is still recovering. I feel better if you had some distance between them.”

Lance gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed his neck. “Sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Pidge muttered as she tugged his arm, “but fine. Just stay alert, Shiro.”

Shiro nodded as he brought out the walkie talkie and hit a button. “Princess, we’re about to enter. Stand by.”

A sigh was heard on the other end. “Will do...also I still don’t care for that as my code name.”

“You can complain later,” Shiro said with a smirk before he handed it to Pidge. “Remember, wait until Sendak and I start to fight-”

“Then tell Allura to go, we know,” Lance replied as he rolled his eyes. “We’ve been over it ten times.”

Shiro gave a smirk as he patted Lance’s shoulder. “Alright, then time to start this. Good luck.”

He watched Lance and Pidge entered the building and out of sight. Slowly, he turned around, took a deep breath and held his head high as he walked out.

It only took seconds for the werewolves to freeze and growl as Shiro approached. Shiro kept his face neutral. He locked eyes with Sendak and never turned away as he heard growls coming from both sides.

Some of the wolves began to block Shiro’s path, but Sendak raised his hand. “No, let the cat approach,” he called and smirked. “He may have done the smart thing and come to surrender.”

_Fat chance,_ Shiro thought, but kept it to himself as he approached.

He stopped at the gates, and was just a few mere feet away from where Sendak stood. Shiro never turned his head, but he could hear the werewolves encircling him to ensure he couldn’t run off.

Sendak crossed his arms as he stepped forward. “And what can we do for you?”

Shiro narrowed his eyes as he pointed. “I’ve come to challenge you for leadership of your pack.”

Silence followed, only to be broken as laughter erupted from the werewolves who were still in human form. Shiro never flinched and he noticed Sendak wasn’t laughing. He didn’t even look amused.

“Quiet,” Sendak roared and it grew silent again. “Have you become deranged from fear? It’s impossible for you to win against me in a fight.”

“If you’re so confident, then there should be no issue in fighting me,” Shiro shot back.

Some of the human werewolves muttered, but their mouths shut as Sendak gave them a murderous look. He then turned back to Shiro and crossed his arms.

“What are you planning?” he asked.

“It’s simple,” Shiro stated as he placed his hands on his hips. “I win, and then I get your pack to leave this town peacefully.”

He couldn’t dare let them know their true plan. Shiro had to stall them for as long as he could.

Sendak seemed skeptical but he slowly grasped his chin. “You are foolish to believe such an attempt would work...but I will take up your challenge on one condition.”

Shiro took a deep breath. Truth be told, Slav did suspect there was a twenty percent chance of this happening. “What’s that?”

Sendak pointed to him. “If I win, you will give yourself up to me. I rather not drag you back in pieces to her if I can avoid it.”

Something twinged at the back of Shiro’s brain. “Her?” he asked.

Sendak tilted his head. “Have you truly forgotten? I am referring to Haggar.”

Shiro choked. Memories came flooding back. Him in a cage. Haggar looming over him with Sendak at her side. Her complaining she needed more magic since the experiment wasn’t working.

_I remember now,_ Shiro thought in alarm. _He works with Haggar._

Shiro swallowed as took deep breaths. He couldn’t go back. He couldn’t go-

A purple blur flew by his head. Shiro jumped as a yelp was heard. He turned and saw a werewolf had managed to get closer to Shiro, but was now stumbling as he was desperate to wipe a wolfbane off his face.

Shiro swallowed. _I hadn’t realized he was about to attack,_ he thought. _I owe Pidge and Lance big time._

“What was that?!” Sendak exclaimed.

Shiro smirked as he regained his composure. “Insurance that your buddies won’t try anything funny during our fight,” he stated and pointed at Sendak. “I accept your condition, and when I win you will all leave this town alone.”

Although, Shiro had no intention of keeping his word if he did lose, but the intent was to just survive not to win.

Sendak growled as he waved his arms out. “I accept! Haxus! Make the marks!”

A human werewolf gave a nod and brought out some chalk from his pocket. Shiro watched quietly as the man drew a large circle on the ground.

“The rules of the challenge are simple,” he said loudly. “Our leader and the cat will fight in this circle. If one leaves the circle, they automatically lose the fight. If one of them yields, they lose. If one of them dies...well,” he shot Shiro a wicked grin, “the results of that are rather clear.”

“Crystal,” Shiro said grimly.

“It is tradition that our leader fight in his wolf form,” Haxus declared as he walked out of the circle, but continued to watch Shiro. “You may fight in which form you consider yourself strongest in.”

“No brainer there,” Shiro stated before he shifted into his lion form. He growled as he watched Sendak shift into a wolf and gave a howl.

Sendak then bared his teeth as he lowered his front. “This won’t take long,” he said smugly.

“We’ll see about that,” Shiro snapped and charged directly at Sendak.


	3. Chapter 3

“We are go, Princess,” Lance said over the walkie talkie. “Repeat we are go!”

Allura sighed as she picked up her small pouch of bombs and placed it over her shoulder. That meant Shiro started to fight. She hated this with every fibre of her being, but it was the only way.

“Alright, let’s go,” she stated as Keith and Hunk had gotten their own pouches of bombs to carry.

“This way,” Plaxum said as she headed to the door but paused to look at Luxia. “You guys stay safe.”

“Same to you,” she said with a nod. “Good luck!”

Plaxum gave a thumbs up before she, Hunk, Keith, and Allura followed them out the door.

“So, how far exactly do we have to go?” Hunk asked as he tried to keep up the pace.

“A few blocks down,” Plaxum stated. “We just have to-”

“Werewolf on the right!” Keith said as he pointed.

A werewolf was beginning to poke his snarling head out the window.

“On it!” Hunk cried as he reached into the bag and flung out the bomb.

The wolfbane bomb flew, and crashed on the werewolf’s nose. Keith grinned as they watched the werewolf retreat. “Good shot, Big Guy!”

“Been practicing with Lance,” Hunk said with a smirk. “I just hope we got enough of these bombs.”

“We’ll have to make due if we don’t,” Allura stated as they turned the corner.

Another werewolf had appeared, but was taken out as Allura and Plaxum tossed their bombs at them. A couple of wolves came from behind but halted after Keith threw bombs at them.

As they threw more bombs, Allura could feel her bag becoming lighter. “I’m getting low.”

“So am I,” Keith replied. “Are we almost there?”

“Yes,” Plaxum said as they dashed around the corner. “UP AHEAD!”

She pointed to a large building with red doors and a small statue of mermaid in front of it. 

Hunk sighed as he looked ready to fall over. “We’ve made it, thank goodness.”

“Not quite yet,” Keith said as he shoved Hunk forward.

Allura turned in time to see more wolves running towards them.

“RUN!” Allura said as the group charged. Plaxum was the first to reach it, but she stopped to reach into her pocket.

“What are you doing?” Hunk snapped as he threw a bomb at a wolf.

“I have to get the key out,” Plaxum snapped as he brought out a set of keys. “This place was already locked when the wolves attacked.” She jammed a large key into the lock and then cursed. “Hang on, it’s stuck. The Mayor warned me about it.”

Allura chewed her lower lip as she braced her back against the wall and held her last two bombs. “Hurry, Plaxum, they’re getting closer.”

The wolves howled as they ran, all barring their teeth. Allura could feel them wanting to sink them into her neck.

“Almost there,” Plaxum muttered and then they heard a click. “GOT IT! EVERYONE INSIDE!”

No one wasted a second. Allura followed Plaxum with both Keith and Hunk at her heels, and in perfect unison slammed the doors. Allura grunted as they felt the werewolves ram against the doors as Plaxum locked it.

“Is this going to hold them?” Hunk asked as he stepped back and watched the doors rattle.

“Yes, but not for long,” Plaxum said as she tucked away the key. “This building as the same protection as the hospital cast on it.”

“So, we don’t have a lot of time,” Allura declared as she brought out the werewolf claw and the silver necklace. “We need that silver bowl now.”

“I know exactly where it is,” Plaxum said.

“You two go,” Keith said as he held up a bomb. “Hunk and I will stand guard here.”

Hunk gulped but nodded. “Y-Yeah, but just don’t take your time, okay?”

“Don’t plan to,” Allura said with a nod before she took off Plaxum.

Her heart was pounding in her ears as they ran down the hall and into the office. Any other day and Allura would have been fascinated by the few magical artifacts she spotted sitting on the shelves, but staying alive was more important.

Plaxum dove into the closet and tossed out small boxes that caused Allura to duck. 

“Where is it, where is it….FOUND IT!” Plaxum yanked out a silver bowl that had flowers and birds engraved on the outside.

“That’s perfect,” Allura said as she stook it. “Now it I just-”

A wolf’s head banged against the window. Allura and Plaxum jumped, bracing themselves for an attack until the window simmered and the werewolf continued to growl as he frantically ram his head into it.

“The wards are stopping him,” Plaxum said grimly. “But they’re not going to last much longer.”

“No,” Allura said as she spotted another wolf attack the window on the other side. “We best hurry.”

Allura slammed the bowl onto the desk, placed the silver pendant into the bowl and then tightly held the claw in her hand.

“Will this take long?” Plaxum said as she hugged herself as the werewolves continued to bang on the windows.

“No, but I will need to concentrate. I can’t stop once I start casting or it won’t work,” Allura said.

Plaxum frowned, nodded and then reached for a large paperweight on the desk. “Then start, if they come in I’ll do my best to hold them back.”

Allura’s stomach lurched, but nodded as she shut her eyes to cast and began. There was no room for error now.

Allura started to chant. She could feel the magic flowing from her hands and into both the claw and the items on the table. She heard the window glass crack, but she ignored it.

She continued to chant. The magic felt hot.

More glass cracked and Plaxum cursed.

She continued to chant. The magic was close to boiling now, but it didn’t hurt. She could feel it craving to overflow and be let loose like a river breaking a dam.

The glass was smashed. A piece of it cut her cheek, but she continued to chant.

Plaxum let out a cry and then Allura finished.

She raised her hands and let the power fly.

The room was engulfed in a blinding light. Allura held her ground as she heard the werewolf cry out like they were being tossed. Slowly, the light died and her hands were shaking as she felt the spell finish. Allura let herself drop to her knees as Plaxum caught her.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Allura looked up as saw the girl had a couple of cuts on her hands. “Yes,” she breathed as she looking up. Both the silver bowl and the pendet were emitting a blue light. 

“It worked,” Allura whispered as Plaxum helped her to her feet.

The door creaked whiched caused Allura to jump until Hunk and Keith appeared. They both looked very worn and ready to drop as she did.

“Um...the werewolves were suddenly just magically shoved away from the building,” Hunk said as he rubbed his neck. “Hoping that means the spell worked?”

“I believe so,” Allura said as she sat in the chair. “If I estimated it correct it should cover the whole town in a matter of minutes.”

“I’ll tell Lance and Pidge,” Keith said with a tight frown as he brought out the walkie talkie . “I just hope they’re all okay.”

“Me too,” Allura said a she shut her eyes.

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Coran braced his back against the door. It felt like the wood was just dying to fall apart the more the werewolf slammed against it. Only one werewolf had appeared to far, but it felt like they were being attacked by three. 

_The full moon really does give them that extra boost,_ Coran thought grimly. _Was rather hoping that fact was exaggerated._

“This monster doesn’t know when to quit!” Sven cried as he kept his hold on the door knob.

“That’s because he knows it wearing down,” Luxia said with a grunt as she tried to keep her hold. “Where is Slav?! He should be here by now.”

Coran nodded in agreement. They had last heard from him seconds before he left his home, but that was over an hour ago. Where was he?!

“I know,” Sven growled next to her. “He should have been here exactly five minutes ago. It’s not like him.”

Coran eyes narrowed. They also hadn’t heard from Allura yet. He shut his eyes. A part of him was craving to sit and worry, but that wouldn’t help anyone.

“Perhaps we better start to resort for Plan B for defense,” Coran called out. “I can go gather the cleaning supplies to throw at the beast.”

“If that monster gets in here we might have too,” Luxia said with a sigh. “We can also gather-”

Suddenly the werewolf gave a startled cry. The banging stopped. Yells and shouts could be heard from the otherside and they sounded human. Coran blinked and shared baffled looks with both Sven and Luxia.

“What was that?” Sven asked.

“I don’t know,” Coran whispered. “I don’t recognize the voices, but at least the beast isn’t attacking anymore.”

“But why?” Luxia asked.

They then heard a knock.

“Sven, it’s me,” Slav’s voice cried out. “I’m sorry for the delay, but it was a crucial ten minutes! Open the door!”

Coran exchanged a baffled look with both Luxia as Sven looked through the window. His eyes widened in relief. “It’s Slav and he has backup!”

“Wait?” Coran asked as he crossed his arms. “You mean the extra bombs?”

“No,” Sven said as he reached for the doors. “Open and look.”

Coran raised an eyebrow, but seeing Sven was not the foolish type he then assisted him in unlocking the door.

Slav stood with his arms crossed, and behind him were two masked strangers that were currently tying up a whimpering and bleeding werewolf. One held out a large sword as the other was tying up the werewolf, but Coran noted the stranger held a similar dagger hanging off his belt.

The stranger immediately looked up after he finished tying the knot. “Is everyone alright?”

Sven gave a smile. “I know that voice anywhere. We’re surviving, Ulaz.”

“That’s not a clear answer,” spoke the other stranger as his sword suddenly shrunk into a dagger. “Please tell us the current situation-”

“I did tell you of the current situation,” Slav snapped. “And we are currently at forty percent of the plan succeeding.”

“I understand that,” the stranger replied, “but a lot has happen in-”

“Now hold it,” Coran said as he placed his hands on his hips. “I believe after spending the last few hours being terrified by werewolves we deserved a proper introduction.”

Slav didn’t seem bothered, but the strangers and even Sven paused before they turn a bit sheepishly to Coran.

“Forgive us,” replied the man named Ulaz as he removed his mask. “We’re part of the Blades of Marmora. I am Ulaz and this is Thace.”

The other stranger removed his mask and quickly gave a quick bow to Coran. 

All the annoyance Coran felt vanished. “Really? Well, it’s about time you got here!”

“We apologize for that,” Thace spoke. “Most of the Blades had already been sent out on another mission before we received Slav’s distress call. We came as fast as we could.”

“I was on my way here when I literally ran into them,” Slav said as he crossed his arms. “My own fault. I knew there was a twenty-two percent chance of tripping with how fast I was running. It’s why I was late.”

“I’m just glad you came,” Luxia said as she stepped out. “Are there more coming?”

“Yes, but we don’t know exactly when,” Thace said with a bitter frown. “Ulaz and I happen to be the closest to the area, that’s why we got here first.”

“We’ll take any help we can right now,” Sven said as he crossed his arms. “So Slav told you-”

“Of the plan, yes,” Ulaz said as he glanced to the werewolf. “Thace and I decided the best place for us to be here in case you needed to move people-”

A bright blue beam flew past. Coran felt the ripple of magic wash over him as fast as a wave. The werewolf’s eyes widened as the beam suddenly shoved the creature away and kept pushing farther and father like an invisible moving wall.

Coran’s jaw dropped, but he then grinned and snapped his fingers. “Allura did it! The barrier is working perfectly!”

“So it would seem,” Ulaz said in a thoughtful tone. “Do you know how big she was able to create it?”

“She was hoping it would cover the whole town,” Luxia said as she rubbed her arm. 

“We best follow it and see if it gets rid of the wolves near the town gate,” Thace stated as he looked to Coran. “If anything, we best check and see if your friend needs back up.”

“Exactly my thinking,” Coran said and looked to Luxia. “Would you please tell Allura? I’m positive she’ll want to meet us there to help Shiro.”

“Yes, gladly,” Luxia said as she pointed. “Please, go!”

Coran nodded as he lead the way with Sven, Thace and Ulaz close behind him. 

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Shiro was getting tired, but he didn’t dare show it. He had cuts on his body, but he continue to growl and ducked as Sendak swiped his paw at him again. Shiro attempted to jump on Sendak, but the werewolf was faster as he used his massive paws to knock Shiro aside.

The pack cheered as Shiro staggered to get to his feet seconds and barely managed to dodge as Sendak struck again.

“You should surrender,” Sendak taunted as he turned around. “This is fruitless.”

“Not to me,” Shiro growled as he bared his teeth.

They encircled around each other.

“You can’t win, and frankly it would be for your own benefit,” Sendak continued.

“I doubt that,” Shiro snapped.

“You should have stayed with Haggar,” Sendak retorted.

Shiro froze at that.

“She could have made you stronger like me,” Sendak said as he grinned and showed off his fangs. “I’ve gained power no mere werewolf has ever dreamed of.”

“Is she the reason your pack is collecting quintessence ?” Shiro breathed. 

“Did I not make that obviously clear earlier?” Sendak then jumped. Shiro stood his ground and just barely held him back.

“My mistress demand we collect as much quintessence as we can,” Sendak grunted as he pushed.

Shiro could feel his body being pushed towards the circle. He tried to dig in his feet, but it didn’t stop.

“You have more than enough,” Shiro shot back. “Just leave this town and leave the people be!”

“We must leave no witnesses,” Sendak said as he pushed. 

Shiro could see the white line out of the corner of his eye.

“If you care about your friends you should submit to us,” Sendak growled as he brought his face in closer. “Even if she has no use for you, I’m positive your fellow familiars will come in handy.”

Shiro’s heart stopped.

His friends. His family. Part of Haggar’s experiments? Flashes of memories came back. Being kept in a cage. Experiencing pain again and again. Haggar would do that to his family without a trace of remorse.

His fear was suddenly stomped out by rage. Shiro could feel both his magic and his blood boil. The magic filled every inch of his body to point it felt like his eyes were glowing.

“DON’T YOU TOUCH THEM!” Shiro suddenly pinned Sendak to the ground and sank his jaws into Sendak’s shoulder

The werewolf cried out in pain and struggled to get up. Shiro didn’t care. He rolled back and flipped Sendak into the air as if he weighed nothing. Shiro jumped back to his feet. Sendak flew out of the drawn circled and collided into some of the nearby werewolves.

Shiro panted as he shifted back into his human form and felt the sudden rush of magic leave him. He let himself collapse to his knees, but he never took his eyes off from where Sendak landed.

“H-he won,” one of the human werewolves muttered. “He beat Sendak.”

There was mutterings among the pack until a howl silence them all. Werewolves were tossed to the side as Sendak stood up in his human form.

Shiro’s eyes narrowed as he forced himself to stand up despite his sore muscles. “You’re out of the circle,” he called out. “I’ve won.”

Sendak snarled as he stomped forward. “I refuse to accept this!”

He charged forward. Shiro braced himself to hold his ground.

Then he felt a tingle of Allura’s magic over his skin. A light blue wall flew past him and slammed into Sendak and then it shoved the other werewolves away with it. Sendak screamed with rage as his pounded his fists against the magical wall, but it did nothing as it pushed him through the town gates and like a stream carried the other werewolves out with him.

Shiro let out a laugh as he sat on the ground. “Allura, did it,” he called out. “They’re gone-”

“SHIRO!”

Shiro turned his head only to find himself tackled by both Pidge and Lance.

“Dude, are you alright?!” Lance said as he checked him over. “There were times he seemed to swing you around like a doll!”

“And I nearly had a heart attack when he charged back at you,” Pidge added.

Shiro gave a weary smile as he wrapped his arms around the two of them. “I’m fine, and I’m just thankful you guys are safe.”

“Yeah,” Lance said as he then rubbed his neck. “By the way..what was that? That thing with your eyes glowing?”

“Yeah, that was new,” Pidge asked.

Shiro opened and shut his mouth. “I..don’t know. I’ll have to ask Allura-”

“Are you three alright?!” 

The group turned to seen Coran appear with Sven and two new figures close behind him. Coran’s eyes widened and then narrowed as he kneeled next to Shiro.

“By Great Groggery’s beard, you are a mess,” he muttered. “We should take you to the hospital-”

“No, need,” spoke one of the strangers as he approached. “I have medical training. I can inspect for any serious injuries here.”

“Thanks...um, who are you?” Shiro asked as Pidge and Lance held him protectively.

“This is Ulaz, and that gentleman there is Thace,” Coran stated, “they’re with the Blades of Marmora.”

Shiro blinked and then gave a sigh of relief as he forced Pidge and Lance to let go. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Yes, although it appears you managed to handle the crisis on your own,” Thace commented as he looked towards the gate. “I see no sign of the wolves.”

“Allura’s barrier was suppose to keep them out of the town,” Pidge commented darkly, “but for all we know they’re still lingering out there.”

“We’ll search the grounds once the other Blades arrive,” Ulaz said as he touched Shiro’s shoulder. “Let’s take care of you and the other injured first.”

Shiro nodded, but cast a grim look to the town gate.

Sendak was still out there and he was still working for Haggar. Shiro wanted to believe they would never encounter him again, but he knew he didn’t have the best luck.


	4. Chapter 4

It didn’t take long for everyone to regroup at the hospital. Keith was rather alarmed at how beaten up Shiro was, and both Hunk and Allura were just as worried. However, Ulaz reassured them them that Shiro would be just fine. Keith sighed and then gently poked Shiro’s shoulder.

“Don’t go picking fights with anymore werewolves,” he scolded.

Shiro gave a weary smile as Plaxma handed him a cup of water. “I don’t plan to, believe me.”

Hunk scoffed. “Besides, Keith, you’re hardly one to talk.”

Keith blushed and turned his head away. “Allura already gave me a stern lecture about it. I don’t need round two.”

Lance clicked his tongue as he leaned back against the wall. “Considering how thick headed you can be, you might need it.”

Keith scowled as the others giggles. He then lifted his head and noticed both Thace and Ulaz were staring at him. He raised an eyebrow. “Is..there a problem?”

Ulaz looked ready to open his mouth, but Thace touched his shoulder. “No, sorry,” he said rather quickly. “It is nothing.”

Keith didn’t believe it, but Thace turned away to look at Luxia. “I think for the moment, Ulaz and I will go to scout the town to make certain there are no longer any werewolves.”

“Allura’s spell should have gotten rid of them all,” Pidge replied.

“Yes, but there is always the two percent chance of one werewolf being immune to the barrier,” Slav spoke up. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Exactly,” Ulaz replied with a nod. “The other Blades should be here shortly. Once they are, we’ll scout outside the town and see if any are still lingering nearby.”

“Thank you,” Luxia said as she clasped her hands. “What should we do in the meantime?”

“Stay here and rest,” Thace said as he pulled his hood up. “I imagine it’ll be the first time in nights you can sleep in peace.”

“Sleeping sounds rather good right now,” Hunk muttered as he leaned against Lance. “I hope we’re not making this a new Halloween tradition.”

“Me too,” Keith muttered as he watched the Blades walk off and notice Thace glance back to him. _Seriously, what is their problem?_

“I’m just relieved everyone is alright,” Sven said and looked to Slav. “I’m going to shift back to my regular form if that’s alright. I know it’s a few hours early to do so-”

Slav shook his head. “No, I was going to suggest it myself truth be told. You need the rest as well.” He yawned before he left the room. “I’m going to sleep for exactly three hours.”

Sven nodded as he watched them go and looked ready to shift back, except Shiro touched his arm.

“Wait, mind if I ask you something?” he asked.

Everyone turned to him as Keith stepped closer. Looking between the two of them it was easy to assume the two of them were twins.

Sven frowned as he tilted his head. “Yes?”

Shiro pointed to where Slav had left the room. “How do you work with that guy and keep your patience?”

Sven blinked and seemed very confused. “What do you mean?”

Shiro suddenly seemed just as lost. “I mean...don’t you find him aggravating to work with?”

“No,” Sven said with a shrug. “He’s fairly easily to work for once you understand his line of thinking.”

Shiro looked ready to debate before Pidge stepped up and gently patted Shiro’s head. “Don’t mind him, Sven. It’s just been a long night.”

Sven shrugged before he shifted back into his cat form and then went to curl up in one of the chairs.

“Sssoo, what’s the plan here now?” Lance said as he looked to Coran. “Do we just stay here and leave once the Blades say it’s safe to do so?”

“I believe that would be the wisest course of action,” Coran said and then cringed. “Although, there is still the car problem.”

“Yes,” Allura said and then looked to Luxia. “I hate to bother you, but the reason we came to this town was to find assistance for repairing our car.”

“We can do more than than,” Luxia said as she folded her hands. “Truthfully, I was hoping you all could stay here for a couple of days.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Keith asked.

“To properly thank you,” Plaxum spoke up. “You saved our lives.”

Allura blushed. “We only did what needed to be done.”

“It doesn’t change the fact you put your own safely on the line for us,” Luxia said. “We are forever grateful.” She smiled as she stepped forward. “We will more than happily assist you with your car, but we also like to celebrate.”

Lance’s face lit up like he had been given a bowl of fresh cream. “You mean a party?!”

“We were never able to have our Halloween festival,” Luxia continued. “It will be late, but I believe everyone will wish to have some fun and to honor you all.”

Plaxma clasped her hands together. “We’ll need a day or so for everyone to recover, but could you please stay as our honor guests?”

“Ooh, can we?” Hunk asked as he looked to Allura. “They probably have good food, and we missed out on our Halloween celebrations too.”

Allura grasped her chin and looked to her group. “What do you all think?”

“I’m game,” Pidge said.

“We could honestly use the time to rest ourselves,” Coran replied.

“Especially,” Lance said as he blinked innocently, “I’m still a weak little kitty.”

_You seemed fine exactly five minutes ago,_ Keith thought with a smirk.

Shiro laughed as he nodded. “Sounds fun, right, Keith?”

It dawned on Keith that everyone was suddenly staring at him. He blushed. He wasn’t one for large crowds or parties. He much prefer a nice quiet night at home, but...it would make the others happy. He gave a sigh and nodded. “Sure, why not.”

Allura smiled and turned back to Luxia. “We will gladly stay to enjoy the party.”

“Wonderful,” Luxia said as she touched Plaxum’s shoulders. “I need to check on the others, but in the meantime everyone should try to get some sleep.”

“No argument here,” Keith said before he shifted back to his cat form. He saw the other familiars do the same. Shiro stayed on the hospital bed he had been sitting one and Keith instantly jumped up to nestle against him.

Before long, Lance, Pidge and Hunk joined them and on one protested as Allura stroked their heads and placed a blanket over them. Keith shut his eyes as he heard the others began to purr. There were some questions left unanswered, but right now he would sleep.

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As much as it damaged his pride, Sendak order his pack to abandoned the town once they had been shoved out the town like pests. It hurt his pride, but he was no fool. There was no getting through that magical barrier, even with their enhanced strength and it wouldn’t be long before the Blades arrive.

It was time to leave. He gave the command and his pack didn’t stop running until they were deep into the woods. It was only then, when he stopped and counted the members of his pack that he realized something was amiss.

“We are missing over a dozen wolves,” he spoke and turned his head. “Haxus, where are the others?”

Haxus seemed hesitant as he bit his lower lip.

“Haxus,” Sendak repeated.

“My leader, I wish to state that I only see you as our leader,” his subordinate began.

Sendak growled as he stepped forward. “Of course I am. Why do you say such foolishness?”

Haxus raised his head. “Sir, the cat managed to toss you out of the ring. By tradition..some of the pack members felt he was our new leader-”

Sendak didn’t let him finish as he seized Haxus by his neck. “Is this some poor idea of a joke? Because I do not find it humorous in the least.”

“O-of course not,” Haxus choked as he gripped onto Sendak’s arm. “Which is why the smart ones are with us now, but those foolish ones decided to stay behind and wait for Shiro to appear.”

Sendak narrowed his eyes as he breathed deeply. “So, I see,” he muttered. He was tempted to strangle Haxus, but he was loyal and was wise enough to remain. It would be stupid and a waste of time to make him an example. He let Haxus drop to the ground before he turned to the rest of the pack.

“The cat had magic on his side,” Sendak called out. “That is the only reason he won and if I hear anyone doubting otherwise I will end it,” he bared his teeth, “permanently.”

The other werewolves whimpered and vigorously nodded in agreement.

Sendak gave a final growl to warn them before he changed into his wolf form. He stole one more glance to where the town sat before he turned back ahead. This was not the results that he wished for, but they still had the quintessence they had collected. He hoped his mistress would be satisfied with that.

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Despite the town being safe, many people didn’t feel easy until the other Blades arrived and confirmed there wasn’t a single werewolf to be found in the town. However, Shiro gained a surprise when Ulaz approached him with some news.

“There are wolves outside the town,” he told him, “and they’re waiting for your commands.”

Shiro blinked as he exchanged a baffled expression with Allura. “Me?”

“They apparently view you as their new leader since, in their opinion, you managed to defeat Sendak,” Ulaz explained.

Shiro raised and then lowered a finger. “But..that...I was only trying to stall for time.”

“It was a challenge of leadership though,” Allura commented as her eyes narrowed. “Are you saying the whole pack of wolves is outside the town?”

Ulaz shook his head. “No, most of the wolves decided to follow Sendak but the others stayed behind.”

“So...I have a pack of werewolves that just attacked this town waiting for me to lead them,” Shiro mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He suddenly felt glad the others were busy helping get ready for the party. There was no way Lance would not joke about this.

“This does complicate things,” Allura muttered as she grasped her chin. “We can’t have a pack of wolves follow us on our way home.”

Ulaz frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. “If it helps I believe these wolves are not as bloodthirsty as the others.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The wolves that stayed seem to be most of the younger wolves and were only attacking the town because they couldn’t disobey Sendak without punishment,” Ulaz replied. “We know this because they approached us and stated they never wished to hurt the town.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that they did,” Allura commented coldly.

“Agreed,” Ulaz said with a nod as he tucked his hands behind his back. “However, I do believe they are sincere in not wishing to attack anyone else.”

Shiro grasped his chin. “If that’s the case...maybe these guys could be insurance.”

“What do you mean?” Allura asked with a tight frown.

“I could ‘order’ these guys to keep an eye on the area and if they see Sendak’s group attacking anywhere else to report to the Blades,” Shiro said with a smirk.

Allura blinked and then tilted her head. “Is that a wise idea? These wolves were prepared to kill everyone in this town and now we want to task them with the town’s safety?”

“If they’re as remorseal as Ulaz says it’s their way to start redeeming themselves,” Shiro said and crossed his arms. “The fact that they’re willing to defy Sendak and follow me is proof enough.”

After fighting Sendak, Shiro could imagine he had his pack follow him out of fear. If the wolves didn’t want to attack, but were too scared to ignore his order, it’s no wonder they used Shiro as their excuse to leave.

“It would be easier than trying to cage them all, even though they are not a large group,” Ulaz stated and looked to Shiro. “Knowing our leader, he would divide up the wolves into smaller groups and then assign a few Blades to remain with them until they proved themselves.”

Allura’s eyes narrowed and sighed. “I still don’t like the idea. but I suppose it is our best option at the moment.”

“It would make locals feel more at ease if they’re being monitored,” Shiro said as he ran a hand through his hair. “After fighting Sendak, it frankly makes me feel better.”

“The wolves mentioned they were impressed by your use of magic against him,” Ulaz said as he looked to Allura. “But I wasn’t quite certain what he meant. I have not heard of familiars having the ability to cast magic.”

Allura blushed slightly. “Yes...well, we’re still trying to figure out what exactly happened ourselves.”

Shiro nodded. “Allura is still learning to control it, but her magic is quite powerful. Me and her other familiars can also change into lions. I’m sure they were referring to that.”

That was a lie.

Shiro knew it wasn’t common, but most witches knew a third form for their familiars could be possible if their magi was powerful enough. The flow of magic Shiro felt, that didn’t feel normal.

He had told Allura about his surge of magic and she had no explanation for it nor did Coran. She had hoped to searched her father’s books for an answer on the subject once they were home. It might be a rare ability only her family could use.

However, Shiro suggest they not tell the Blades about it. They had the job of monitoring all things magic and they might not like the idea of a familiar being able to use actual magic.

Ulaz’s face was unreadable, but gave a slow nod. “I see, I’ll make a note of that in my report then.”

Shiro gave a smile and hoped that would be the last they ask of it. “Should I go speak to the werewolves now?”

“Yes,” Ulaz said as he looked to Allura. “Would you like to accompany us?”

“Yes, I rather personally make certain Shiro isn’t harmed,” Allura said as she touched his shoulder. “My familiars have been injured enough as is and I rather avoid any more risk of it.”

Shiro gave a weary laugh. “I’m sure your famous death glare alone will be enough to put them in their place.”

Allura gave a slight pout, which only caused Shiro to giggle more.

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Just as Keith suspected, the party was loud, but after what the town went through he couldn’t blame the locals for it. Hunk, Pidge and Coran went to explore the refreshment table. Keith wasn’t certain where Shiro, Allura and Lance had sneaked off to, but he took it upon himself to hide in a quiet spot at the fountain. 

Quietly he watched the townsfolk talk amongst themselves. Most of the victims had recovered, but Keith noticed extra chairs were set for people who needed to sit and catch their breath. 

What amazed Keith the most was how much food the town had managed to whip up in less than a day. There were endless tables of food and treats for the kids. Although, Hunk pointed out they probably had quite a large amount of it prepared days in advance for when they thought they be celebrating Halloween night.

“Also you be surprised how fast people can cook when there’s people to feed,” Hunk commented.

Keith thought back to how many times Hunk seemed to have thrown together a full dinner, including dessert, in less than an hour. Yeah, he could believe it.

He did cast a smile at the kids that giggled and ran by in their costumes. They looked like they were some kind of space rangers and each kid was in a different colour. _Nice to see them happy,_ Keith thought. _Poor kids were probably scared out of their minds during the whole thing._

“Hey, there you are!”

Keith looked up and saw Lance waved. “Thought you be in cat form and hiding under a table.”

Keith sighed as Lance sat next to him. “Tried that, but the kids found me and wanted to pet me. So, I thought it was safer for me to be in human form.”

Lance cooed. “Awww, but kids give the best pats!”

Keith’s eyes narrowed. “They had sticky fingers from eating candy apples.”

Lance lowered his hands and gave a slow nod. “Ah, yeah, that’s lest fun then.” He looked up to the crowd. “I just came to tell you that Allura and Shiro just got back.”

Keith blinked as he tilted his head. “Got back? From where?”

Lance rubbed his neck. “From what they told me, talking to a bunch of werewolves that now see Shiro as their leader.”

Keith choked. “What? Lance, that’s not funny.”

Lance didn’t crack a smile and kept his serious frown.

“Oh, man, you’re not joking are you?,” Keith muttered.

Lance shook his head. “Shiro said he give us the details later, but told me they weren’t a threat.”

“How can they not be a threat?” Keith asked in disbelief. 

Keith loved Shiro like a brother, but sometimes the guy was too trusting.

“No clue, but promised he fill us in once he located the others hence why I went looking for you,” Lance continued.

Keith frowned as he crossed his arms. “Should we go see them now?”

Lance stretch his arms. “Naw, knowing how long it will take to pry both Hunk and Coran away from the dessert table, I say we got a few minutes.” He then grinned and pointed. “Hey, looks like no one had tackled that table yet. Want me to bring us something to eat?”

Keith was going to refuse, but then his stomach growled. He blushed as Lance smirked at him.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Lance snickered as he rose. “Back in a sec, mullet head.”

Keith rolled his eyes as he returned his gaze to the crowd, but then frowned as he spotted Thace in the crowd. Even more annoying, he was heading straight towards him.

_Now what?_ Keith thought. He wanted to believe it was his imagination, but he swore Thace and Ulaz were always staring at him. Did they just not like familiars or something?

Keith kept his hard stare and crossed his arms as Thace reached his spot. 

“Do...you need to speak to Allura?” he asked and hoped that was the reason. “My friend Lance should be back in a minute and he knows where to find her.”

Thace shook his head. “No, I merely wish to ask you a question.”

Keith internally cringed. “Uh..alright? What?”

“How long have you be serving your witch?”

Keith tilted his head. Why did he want to know that? “Um..well...it’s getting close to a year.” He was surprised by his own answer. Had it really been almost that long?

Thace nodded. “And where were you before that?”

Keith shrugged. “I was just a stray living on the streets.”

Thace’s eyes hardened. “So, you had no home before that you can recall?”

“No,” Keith said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He didn’t like how personal he was trying to get.

“And you accepted being Miss Altea’s familiar out of your own free will?”

Keith growled. Okay, he was not liking what this guy was implying. “Yes, of course I did. Why would you think otherwise?”

Thace turned his face back to the party. “Part of a Blade’s work is ensuring familiars are not forced into contracts against their will. I merely wish to confirm it was voluntary.”

“But why me specifically?” Keith asked as he stepped closer. “I’m willing to bet you didn’t ask the others this.” Thace and Ulaz never seem to watch the others they way they did him.

“Purely routine, I assure you,” Thace said as he stood up and nodded. “Thank you for your time.” 

Keith watched him go and didn’t take his eyes off him even as Lance reappeared with a plate of sandwiches.

“Uh..hey,” Lance said as he looked were Keith was staring. “Dare I ask?”

Keith scowled. “He was basically asking me if Allura had forced me to become her familiar.”

Lance arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I have no clue,” Keith grumbled as he crossed his arms. “He didn’t ask you guys that did he?”

Lance shrugged. “No, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Coran said they’re like police officers for witches, right? It’s probably just part of their procedure or whatever.”

Keith didn’t feel like it was.

“Ah, cheer up grumpface,” Lance said as he held up the plate to his nose. “They got tuna salad, and we both know that’s one of your faves.”

Keith sniffed, heard his stomach demand food again and sighed as he picked up a sandwich. “Thanks,” he muttered before he took a bit.

Lance grinned as he ate a sandwich. “After this, let’s go bob for apples.”

“We’re not going to have time for that are we?” Keith asked after he swallowed.

“Yeah, we will,” Lance said as he pointed. “I just learned someone brought out peanut butter cookies.”

Keith blinked and muttered an “oh”. That was famously one of Pidge’s favorite treats. Getting Coran and Hunk away from the food to chat was enough of a challenge, but yanking Pidge away...well Shiro had an easier time fighting Sendak probably.

“Fine, but I’m just watching you,” Keith commented, “I’m not joining in.”

Lance gave a wicked grin. “Oh, we shall see about that.”

Keith rolled his eyes and continue to eat.

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When Sendak reached the manor he ordered his pack to remain outside, but to not wander off. “It won’t be long before she comes out to collect,” he told them before he stepped inside.

His eyes instantly adjusted to the dark as he walked down the hallway and then down the stairs. The door to the lab was unlocked, but he knew better than to barge in. Straightening is posture he knocked loudly.

“Enter,” Haggar’s voice called out.

Sendak pushed open the door. Haggar had her back to him as she finished pouring some green potion into a vial. She glanced to Sendak and nodded before set the vial aside.

“Were you successful?” she asked.

Sendak took a deep breath. “My pack managed to collect as much quintessence as you requested.”

Haggar narrowed her eyes as she removed her hood. “But?” she asked.

“There were complications. We were not able to kill the townsfolk and some of my pack betrayed me.”

“That is surprising,” Haggar said as she folded her arms. “Why? Have I have not given you enough power?”

“More than enough,” Sendak said as he made a fist. “But Shiro was there..and it seem he made an impression on the weak willed.”

Haggar’s eyes widened slightly before her frown deepened. “Was his witch there was well?”

“Yes, and cast a spell that is keeping my pack out of the town,” Sendak said as he kneeled. “If ordered, I shall take my pack back there and-”

“Don’t bother,” Haggar said as she reached for an empty bottle. “It would have been more convenient if they were dead, but it won’t change my plans.” She removed the cork and held it out. “I’m going to collect.”

Sendak nodded before he shifted into his wolf form. He shut his eyes as he felt the stored magic leave his fur. His fur stood on end as the magic flowed into the empty bottle. After the last spark of quintessence left him, he heard Haggar shut the bottle as he opened his eyes.

“I will collect from the others later,” Haggar said as he began to walk into the other chamber.

Sendak nodded before he changed back to human form. Quietly, he watched Haggar enter the chamber. In the centre of the room was a bed placed with his ever unconscious master laying on top of it. Tubes flowing with magic directly into his body were set up like a spider’s web around him. Haggar removed the cork and the quintessence flowed from the bottle and was instantly absorbed into the body.

Sendak was silent as they saw a finger twitch, but then became still again. Haggar took a deep breath before she turned to Sendak. “Fetch the others,” she instructed.

Sendak nodded before he cast one more glance at his master. With every bit of magic they gathered they drew closer to finally awakening him. 

One day, they would see the return of Zarkon.

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“So, the werewolves see you as their new leader?” Hunk crossed his arms. “They’re not coming to live with us, right? They eat us out of house and home.”

Shiro shook his head from his chair. They had all gathered in the room Luxia had provided for them to stay in while their car got repaired. “No, no, I made it clear they need to work with the Blades.”

“Although, they seemed very disappointed,” Allura commented with a giggle. “There was even this young werewolf named Regris that was very disappointed.”

Shiro blushed slightly as he rubbed his neck. The guy didn’t much younger than Keith and Lance were. He seemed to happy to not obey Sendak anymore either. Frankly, Shiro felt like he had kicked a puppy from the disappointment the guy had when he was told he wouldn’t be following Shiro home.

“I told the Blades I would come by to check on them,” Shiro told the group.

Keith narrowed his eyes. “Did they say who exactly ordered them to attack the town?”

Shiro sighed as he crossed his arms. “It was definitely Haggar. Apparently, Sendak made some kind of deal with her to collect quintessence in their fur in exchange for him to gain power. However, no idea what she needed the quintessence for.”

Hunk shivered. “Well, that’s...nice?”

“Indeed,” Allura nodded. “Ulaz said the Blades will look into it so there’s not much else we can do about it.” She took a deep breath. “For now, I’m just grateful everyone is safe.”

“It’s a memorable Halloween that’s for sure,” Coran commented and grinned as he tugged his mustache. “Perhaps next year we should find a vampire to battle with.”

“Nope, rejecting that idea,” Lance said as he leaned. “Next year, I just want a cozy night at home in my nice warm bed.”

Shiro gave a smile as he sat in his chair. “That sounds like a good idea to me.” He pointed to the tv as he picked up the remote. “I could use a bit of quiet time. Anyone want to join me?”

The group agreed in unison and before long the familiars had changed to cat forms and were curled up between Allura and Coran. Allura found a Scooby Doo marathon and Coran pulled the blanket over everyone. Shiro gave a sleepy smile as he purred happily. Everyone was safe and happy, that was all he cared about right now.


End file.
